


Tell Me How You Feel

by RosesRBlue



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Female Uchiha Sasuke, Fluff and Angst, Genderbending, M/M, Past Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto, Past Relationship(s), Post-Fourth Shinobi War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:39:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28829034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosesRBlue/pseuds/RosesRBlue
Summary: Sasuke has been released from prison and is on parole for two years before she can finally be free to leave the mess that is Konoha and all of its hypocracies; however one major orange ball of sunshine is weighing heavily on her decision.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Yamanaka Ino, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 24
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction story ever and I thought I was going to write it as a one-shot, but the words kept flowing out and I guess it's going to have multiple chapters. I hope you guys enjoy it and please feel free to leave any comments to let me know how you feel about it!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of Masashi Kishimoto's works, especially not this brilliant series, nor do I own any characters in the Naruto/Boruto universe.

The air was hot and sticky on Sasuke’s face as she lay on the grass just outside the gates of the Konoha. This was the only area where she could find any kind of peace these days and it was close enough to the village that Kakashi and his Anbu stopped harassing her about it. The air was still and the sky was so disgustingly clear and blue that it felt like it was mocking her for the contrasting swirl of emotions flowing through her.

Today she was allowed a day off from the community service work that was assigned to her, so she took this time to relish in the lack of awkwardness and scorn that was constantly aimed at her by her former acquaintances. Helping with the village’s construction and providing information about her time with Orochimaru and Akatsuki was all worth it knowing that it was all going to come to an end in a year’s time.

Folding her arms behind her head, she closed her eyes and almost chuckled when remembering her last interaction with her former sensei and the Council of Hypocrites:

***

_Sasuke felt a headache throbbing violently at her temples as she listened to the deceptively placating voice of Hiashi Hyuga reading out his reasons for believing that she should receive a harsher judgment than the one that was granted minutes ago by Kakashi, the new Sixth Hokage._

_“After witnessing her abilities in her battle with Madara and Kaguya, we would be irresponsible to allow her to walk out of the village freely. She was labeled a missing nin for a reason and had ambitions to destroy the village for years”. He paused to allow the other members of the council to applaud at this point, and exchange short statements and nods of agreement._

_“The Hyuga clan have always shared a kinship with the Uchiha-“ Sasuke rolled her eyes at this, “-and we believe that Konoha cannot any of their own founding clans to abandon their loyalties and duties so carelessly. As long as she carries the name of Uchiha, Sasuke has a responsibility to atone for her actions and continue the legacy of her clan in the village.”_

_At the end of his speech he looked over to Sasuke and she locked eyes with him._

“Arrogant son of a bitch,” _she thought venomously_.

_So now that the Hyuga were pretty much the most powerful clan left with a formidable Keikei Genkai in Konoha, they saw this as the best moment to humiliate the last remaining Uchiha? The “kinship” between the two clans was nothing more than both clans unofficially competing over which clan produced the most protégées and a certain light purple eyed clan always fell short to the Uchiha. Sasuke herself had never even been to the Hyuga compound in her life._

_“They are an insecure bunch,” Fugaku Uchiha declared during dinner after a child Sasuke told a story of seeing Hinata Hyuga playing on the swings in the Academy’s playground. She had fallen and scraped her knees, but what was strange was how she vehemently didn’t want her parents finding out that she hurt herself._

_“Never associate with such trash, Sasuke. They will use any method to step on us and the when the opportunity presents itself, so you must do everything in your power to remind them why they should always fear an Uchiha...”_

_Her father’s words kept repeating themselves in Sasuke’s head and she began shaking in anger at the thought that the Hyuga wanted to see her suffer more even though she played a significant role in saving their pathetic clan in the first place._

“Responsibilities? Duties? Atonement?” _The ridiculousness of those words were insulting at best._ Try turning these empty words at yourself and your friends instead. I’m sure they fit better anyway.

_“I have made my judgment, Hiashi,” Kakashi’s voice cut through Sasuke’s thoughts and she looked up to where he sat in the most prominent chair in the Council Chamber._

_It was so strange to see how cold his expression was during this debate, especially when he would glance at Sasuke briefly, and his decision to allow Sasuke her freedom in a year and a half was shocking to everyone._

_“Sasuke’s abandonment of the village was a crime but her actions in assisting us during the war are atonement enough. She was young genin when she left the village so she possesses none of the secrets held by chunins, jounin and Anbu that pose a threat to the village as a missing nin._

_As for her threats to the village, the deal that she made with the Sage of the Six Paths guaranteed that she would only receive his power as long as her intentions to protect the village were honest. Are you saying that you doubt his judgment on her too?”_

_Everyone looked uncomfortable at this. Sasuke knew that this was a weak argument to use but it if there was one thing that terrified these spineless sheep more than the thought of an angry Uchiha running around was the implication that they were bold enough to disrespect the Sage and his wisdom. Sasuke supposed that she should feel lucky for her destiny in that case because Kakashi’s next words held no room for further argument:_

_“Sasuke Uchiha will be held on parole for two years under constant surveillance of Anbu, no matter what part of the village she is in. She is prohibited from using any of her chakra and to ensure this, she will continue to wear a chakra-blocking necklace until the end of the parole period.”_

_This made Sasuke subconsciously touch the tight, thin band that was wrapped around her throat the moment she was brought in after her final battle with Naruto. Now that her chakra was blocked, she felt a strange emptiness instead of the usual buzz of energy flowing all through her body. She also had a tendency to become nauseated at random moments, which was a sign of her body forcefully trying to reignite the chakra cells._

"That’s a bitch," _she thought with a mental sigh. "_ Can’t be helped I guess."

_“Furthermore,” Kakashi continued as he gave Sasuke a piercing stare, “she is to assist in the new construction projects taking place in the village and she will attend interrogation sessions with Morino Ibiki, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino to provide all of the information she has about Orochimaru and Akatsuki.”_

_There was an underlying tone of warning in his voice that made it seems as though he was issuing this a challenge that Sasuke would struggle with. Sasuke knew that her old sensei no longer held the almost parental warmth for her that he still has for Naruto and Sakura, but it was still insulting to think that he would believe her to be a liar somehow._

_She has been nothing but honest to him and everyone else about her intentions even before she left the village to train under Orochimaru. Was it her fault that no one took her seriously enough to train her properly when they had the chance? Even Naruto had surpassed her out of nowhere!_

_It was even worse knowing that Kakashi knew about the truth of the Uchiha massacre. How dare he still act like she’s an ignorant, naïve brat when the people who are responsible for the slaughter of her entire clan are seated on comfortable chairs all around her right in this very chamber?_

_Sasuke seethed inwardly, wishing that she could jump up, dig her fingers into Kakashi’s ungrateful skull and rip out that Sharingan that’s his claim to fame In the first place. After seeing Danzo’s disgusting arm adorned with her clan’s birthright and seeing that the Mizukage’s right-hand man also had a Sharingan that was not his own, the idea of non-Uchihas using the Sharingan was enough to make her vomit._

_However there was no point in dwelling on this. Sasuke simply wanted to remove the Uchiha legacy from the prison of Konoha and leave these fools behind to destroy themselves with their own dark secrets._

_“Does the prisoner have any objections to the terms of her parole?”_

_The chamber was deathly silent and Sasuke could feel the gazes of all the council members bore into her, yet she continued to maintain her eye contact with the sixth Hokage._

_“Yes,” Sasuke managed to respond clearly even though she had not used her voice much in the 5 months that she was imprisoned here. “I will fulfill all of the terms of my parole and I sincerely thank the sixth Hokage for the mercy shown to me today.”_

***

_“Mercy huh?”_

Sasuke was amused at herself that she used that word at all. Her painful interrogations were anything but merciful and the labour she had to participate in was borderline cruel. All of the shinobi from chuunin level and upwards knew about the truth of Danzo’s schemes yet they still treated her with so much malice that it probably didn’t matter anyway.

Though why would Sasuke expect any kind of sympathy from them anyway? If she remembers correctly, no one had comforted her as a child right after the massacre. Everyone had gossiped from afar and there seemed to be an air of mirth from some of the other prominent clans. No one really liked the Uchiha and the story of the protégé son who went insane and slaughtered his family right in front of his baby sister was divine justice in their eyes.

The third Hokage never sent anyone to check in on her for longer than a month and the entire thing was forgotten by the next season. Even her teachers at the Academy stayed clear of the subject and Kakashi pretty much ignored her confession of wanting to kill her brother. No one cared enough to stop her until it was too late because it finally became inconvenient for them.

_“As long as they could keep me on a chain, everything was fine right?”_ Sasuke thought coldly.

She jumped when a twig snapped near her picked up a rock that was next to her right hand and flipped over into a combat-ready stance. She had no weapons on her so she would have to aim her attack well and run to the entrance gates as quickly as possible.

“Whoa whoa whao,” a familiar voice tired to placate her. “Don’t hurt me. I just saw you laying here so I came to say ‘hi’.”

Naruto looked amused at the dirty look that Sasuke fixed on him.

“If I could use my chakra,” Sasuke started, throwing the stone down to the side and relaxing her posture slightly, “I would have roasted you to oblivion, moron. Never sneak up on me again.”

Naruto laughed at this as though Sasuke hadn’t just threatened death on him. He scratched at the back of his head and shook his head.

He wore a simple outfit of his usual orange jumpsuit pants and a tight green shirt. His jacket was tied around his waist and the layer of sweat running down his neck and forehead indicated that he may have been training before then. Saske imagined a drop of sweat running down Naruto’s exposed neck, dipping into the hallow space between his collarbones, down into his shir-

“Sorry okay,” Naruto apologized casually. “So…what are even doing out here?”

He genuinely looked confused at seeing Sasuke but the awkwardness of his question was not at all about a chance encounter in a clearing outside the village.

Sasuke had not seen Naruto at all since she was first brought back to the village and even in the last five months since her parole started. The very last time she saw him was right before feeling a sharp prick in her neck from where Sakura injected her with anesthesia after the end of her fight with Naruto. While she was well aware that he was the largest influence in Kakashi’s refusal to execute her or imprison her for life, his avoidance of her was strange.

_“And he knows it...”_ Sasuke thought bitterly.

This run-in must have genuinely been unplanned and Sasuke was nothing if not petty when she felt wronged by someone who she considered more than an acquaintance.

“Why?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow. “Are you worried that I found your little hiding spot, Mr Hero?”

Naruto’s smile dropped instantly as he understood the implication of Sasuke’s question. He looked at her seriously and seemed to want to say something, but his eyes dropped down to the chakra-blocking necklace around her throat and he decided against it.

Sasuke was now the one to be confused and before she could ask him anything further, he said, “I was gonna grab something to eat right now. Wanna come?”

_“I should refuse just for the hell of it,”_ Sasuke considered, but she would be lying if she said that the almost pleading smile he threw her didn’t have the intended effect on her. Besides, there were some rumours about Naruto floating around that she overheard and it would be nice to hear about them from the horse’s mouth.

“You’re paying.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There's some throw-up in this here chapter.

Walking down the main streets of Konoha was immensely different now than it was six years ago. Not only was the village physically different, but the overall mood of the villagers had changed from their once carefree nature, to a more subdued aura of mutual respect and mourning.

It’s not as though they were actually crying on each other’s shoulders or anything, but Sasuke could see how careful they were with their interactions. Similarly to when she would casually observe the other workers around her as she was digging foundation trenches on the eastern edge of the village, there was more touching between people. Konoha was a fairly large village to begin with and it was common to have never seen or heard of someone if you hadn’t met them personally, but now even strangers were relieved to see each other if only to feel some sense of comfort in numbers.

“Gosh, this place really got flipped upside down, huh,” Naruto sighed, a light sad tone in his voice.

The area they were currently in was lined with tents of varying sizes, all having boards and loose banners to indicate what shop or restaurant it was meant to serve as. The charm of Konoha’s shopping district was replaced with squalor; every business owner had lost their assets and had to use their remaining funds to purchase cheaper goods from neighbouring towns and villages. 

In contrast with the heavy meaning to his words, Naruto’s posture was more casual. He had his arms laced together behind his head and a large grin made its way onto his face when he added,

“You remember how many times we ran around here trying to get Mrs. Miura’s cats? Sakura was so mad when I dropped that fat one in front of that pet store.” He pointed to an area where there once stood a cute wooden pet shop, but now had a faded green tent that served as a “Quick-Stop Pharmacy”.

“I remember you catching only one cat the entire day,” Sasuke started, “refusing to put it in the cage and then dropping it in front of a pet shop that was having a dog sale. How many children got maimed that day, again?”

“They didn’t get _maimed_ – they were _scratched_. And shut up! You’re the reason I dropped her in the first place.”

This was true; Sasuke had shot a small fireball towards Naruto’s face when he looked a little too happy to have done such little work compared to the rest of Team Seven and his idiotic decision to not put the cat in its cage was her tipping point.

“Do you want me to apologise?”

“You’re such an ass,” Naruto laughed. “Anyway, here we are!”

Gesturing grandly to the small grey tent in front of them, it was no real surprise that this was the temporary stand of Ichiraku Ramen.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Sasuke sighed, exasperated by how little Naruto matured past his taste in food.

Ignoring her, Naruto practically skipped into the tent and shouted for two bowls of miso ramen. Sasuke took a deep breath and exhaled for a couple of seconds before following him inside and taking a seat on one of the cheap wooden chairs near the bar.

***

“You’re barely eating anything,” Naruto pointed out, indicating to Sasuke’s half bowl of soup and noodles.

He, on the other hand, was currently almost done with his third bowl and it was fascinating how quickly he devoured them. It brought back so many memories when Kakashi would take them out to eat after a mission and Naruto would constantly order any version of ramen there was. Not that any of them could ever come close to Ichiraku’s ramen for him.

Sasuke herself had never really enjoyed those dinners. She mostly accepted Kakashi’s offer to eat out because she could not cook for herself at the time; her mother took care of all of the cooking in their home and Sasuke was not old enough to learn yet. Itachi could cook basic meals but he never fulfilled his promise to teach her due to his busy schedule.

“Is it bad?” Naruto’s tone was more worried and he put his chopsticks down. “Do you wanna eat something else?”

Looking from the corner of her eye, Sasuke could see that the Ichiraku girl –

_“Akane? Ayame? What was her name again?”_

– had stopped wiping down the bar to listen to their conversation. She mostly ignored Sasuke since they entered the tent, which was much better than the open hostility that Sasuke often experienced.

Now that she thought about it, Sasuke hadn’t had anyone spit insults at her or give her dirty looks since she’s been walking around with Naruto.

_“Maybe I should stitch him onto my clothes-“_

Her thoughts were interrupted when a large, warm hand closed over hers and Naruto tugged slightly to gain her attention.

“Hey, what’s going on? Are you sick or something?”

“Uh…” Sasuke kept looking down at their hands and back up at the large sapphire eyes that tried to read her body language for any kind of illness. Jerking her hand out from under Naruto’s, Sasuke responded, “I’m fine. Fine. I’m not hungry, that’s all.”

Naruto didn’t seem convinced by this and Sasuke was preparing to add a lie about having eaten a large breakfast, when she was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea. Her vision swam violently and all she could see was Naruto’s blurry silhouette. A sharp pain shot through her stomach and a flood of saliva filled her mouth, preparing for the incoming vomit that was working its way up.

The Naruto blob disappeared from her sight, running off and shouting words that Sasuke couldn’t make out. She hunched forward and prepared herself for the inevitable.

A bucket was placed under her face just in time to catch the chewed up noodles and soup fighting its way out of Sasuke’s body. She could hardly breathe as each wave moved painfully through her throat and she felt her eyelids get heavier with the lack of oxygen.

She felt Naruto rubbing her back with one hand and holding her arm steady with the other to keep her from falling over. He may have been trying to say some reassuring words to her but there was a ringing noise in her ears that rang louder to her than all other sounds around her.

“…or call Sakura, maybe? I don’t know.”The dizziness began to subside and Sasuke could hear Naruto trying to plan out whom to contact to help her.

Closing her eyes, Sasuke took a few deep breaths. There was a prickling sensation on the tips of her fingers and toes as if she had slept on them incorrectly. This was a sign that her chakra cells had failed to reignite and all of the blocked energy had nowhere to escape to.

“Don’t,” she whispered hoarsely. “It’s passed now. Don’t…call Sakura…or whoever.”

“It’s this stupid necklace, isn’t it-“

Sasuke slapped Naruto’s hand away from the chakra inhibitor a little bit harsher than intended.

“It could be defective, Sasuke. You practically collapsed; I don’t think it should be doing that.”

“It’s a chakra _inhibitor_ , moron. What did you think it does?”

Naruto didn’t answer to the question and being called a moron, which was extremely odd. Sasuke remembers how quickly Naruto would snap whenever his intelligence was being tested but the calm manner he sat next to her and examined her facial expression was certainly…different.

He looked dangerously serious and Sasuke would be lying if she said that she didn’t feel a slight shiver run down her spine the longer he maintained eye contact with her.

_“Is he angry at me?”_

“Umm…excuse me,” a soft voice came from above them. Sasuke jerked her head to face Ayame, who was holding a glass of water and carefully offering it to her. “Would you like a glass of water?”

Before Sasuke could accept the glass from her, Naruto ordered, “Bring us a bottle instead, Ayame-chan. We actually need to get going. I’m sorry about the mess.”

Ayame must have been as shocked as Sasuke was at Naruto’s tone. She nodded her head quickly and ran to the back of the bar to take one of the bottles of water out of the small fridge.

Sasuke looked back at Naruto, confused at what just happened. Naruto purposefully avoided looking back at Sasuke’s face as he helped her stand up.

“Come on,” he said in a softer tone. “We’re going back to my place.”

“What? I don’t think that’s-“

“We need to talk, Sasuke.”

Sasuke’s heart beat hard at that. This odd behaviour was triggering a fight or flight instinct inside her.

_“What the hell is going on?”_

“Thanks Ayame.” Naruto took the bottle of water from the Ichiraku girl, who handed it to him while giving Sasuke a short side glance. She offered them both a soft smile and turned around to take away the bucket that Sasuke vomited in.

Naruto pulled out a three-pronged kunai that Sasuke recognised as the type that the Fourth Hokage used during the war.

“This is gonna feel a little weird but it’s faster this way.”

There was a sudden tugging sensation and the modest wooden interior of the Ichiraku Ramen Bar turned into a blob of grey and brown colours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While this chapter was a bit shorter than intended, I wanted to give a bit of insight into the effects that the necklace is having on Sasuke's health. Notice how scatter-brained she became right before the uhh...expulsion of fluids and solids. Why did Naruto's attitude change all of a sudden? Does he know something that Sasuke doesn't? (O_o)
> 
> Anyway, please let me know what you guys think. See you next week!


End file.
